NASCAR Nationwide Series to race at Mid Ohio Sports Car Course in 2013

COLUMBUS, OHIO (November 13, 2012) – Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course announced a three-year partnership with Nationwide Insurance and Nationwide Children’s Hospital earlier today to bring the NASCAR Nationwide Series to Ohio for the first time. The event, to be titled the Nationwide Children’s Hospital 200, is set for August 16-17, 2013. Nationwide Children’s will benefit from collaborative fundraising and awareness efforts carried out by NASCAR, Mid-Ohio and Nationwide Insurance.

“The NASCAR Nationwide Series coming to Mid-Ohio is a major addition for the track, our region and the state of Ohio. We’ve always been dedicated to putting a dynamic schedule together each year for our fans and being able to work with NASCAR on securing a Nationwide event truly gives us one of the most powerful schedules in road racing,” said Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course President Craig Rust. “To make this event even more special is our partnering with a company like Nationwide Insurance that has heavy racing involvement and has been a strong community supporter both in Ohio and nationally for almost a century. Helping to shine a bright light on the work that Nationwide Children’s Hospital does is something in which we’re very proud to be involved.”

Nationwide Insurance, headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, has entitled the NASCAR Nationwide Series since 2008 and been involved in the sport for more than 14 years. It will extend its support in the motorsports realm by sponsoring its first NASCAR race on behalf of Nationwide Children’s and receiving designation as Official Insurance Provider of the track. In 2006, the Nationwide Insurance Foundation awarded Columbus Children's Hospital the single largest charitable donation for any cause in central Ohio and the second-largest philanthropic gift in the nation to a children’s hospital.

“We’re thrilled to partner with Mid-Ohio to introduce NASCAR fans to the important work of Nationwide Children’s through season long NASCAR marketing programs,” said Matt Jauchius, chief marketing officer for Nationwide Insurance. “In the past six years Nationwide Insurance’s sports sponsorships have helped generate more than $7.5 million for Nationwide Children’s and we’re ecstatic about doing more good work.”

Nationwide Children’s, an international leader in pediatric research and care, serves nearly 1 million patient visits annually, caring for children from every state and 28 nations round the world. All care is provided regardless of a family’s ability to pay.

“This new partnership is yet another demonstration of Nationwide Insurance’s transformational support of Nationwide Children’s Hospital and our mission,” said Steve Allen, MD, chief executive officer of Nationwide Children’s. “We thank Nationwide, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and NASCAR for bringing this premier sporting event to central Ohio and for choosing to highlight the hospital as part of it. We look forward to welcoming NASCAR fans to this event and working with our partners to raise funds and awareness for pediatric care and research.”

Tickets for the third – and final – road course on the 33-event 2013 NASCAR Nationwide Series schedule and the rest of the 2013 Mid-Ohio season will go on sale Monday, December 3. Parking is free and children 12 and under are also admitted free at every event. Fans can visit midohio.com anytime or call 800-MID-OHIO (643-6446) Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. for more information.

About Mid-Ohio Sports Car CourseA comprehensive motorsports facility, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course features a permanent road-racing circuit with two primary configurations: a 2.4-mile, 15 turn, and a 2.25- mile, 13-turn circuit. The park-like, 330-acre complex is located in Lexington, Ohio, near Mansfield, 60 miles north of Columbus and 75 miles south of Cleveland. The track has been called the most competitive course in the U.S. and annually hosts a diverse lineup of locally, regionally and nationally sanctioned racing events for amateur, club and professional drivers and riders. Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course opened in 1962 and is owned and operated by Green Savoree Mid-Ohio, LLC.

About Nationwide Children's HospitalRanked 7th of only 12 children's hospitals on U.S. News & World Report’s 2012-13 “America’s Best Children’s Hospitals Honor Roll,” Nationwide Children’s Hospital is one of the nation’s largest not-for-profit freestanding pediatric healthcare networks providing wellness, preventive, diagnostic, treatment and rehabilitative care for infants, children, and adolescents, as well as adult patients with congenital disease. In June 2012, the hospital celebrated completion of the largest pediatric expansion construction project in United States history, adding 2.1 million square feet of clinical, research and support facilities to total 5.3 million square feet on its main campus. A medical staff of 1,100 and 8,300 employees provide state-of-the-art pediatric care for nearly one million patient visits annually. As home to the Department of Pediatrics of The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Nationwide Children’s Hospital physicians train the next generation of pediatricians and pediatric specialists. The Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital is one of the top 10 National Institutes of Health-funded freestanding pediatric research facilities. Nationwide Children’s remains true to the original mission since its founding in 1892 of providing care regardless of a family’s ability to pay. More information is available at www.NationwideChildrens.org.

About NationwideNationwide Mutual Insurance Company, based in Columbus, Ohio, is one of the largest and strongest diversified insurance and financial services organizations in the U.S. and is rated A+ by both A.M. Best and Standard & Poor’s. The company provides customers a full range of insurance and financial services, including auto insurance, motorcycle, boat, homeowners, pet, life insurance, farm, commercial insurance, annuities, mortgages, mutual funds, pensions, long-term savings plans and specialty health services. For more information, visit www.nationwide.com.Follow us on: [Mid-Ohio E-mail Newsletters] [Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on Facebook] Twitter